Real Men Wear Gowns: Sleep and its effect on your health

Sleep is something most of us talk about every day. How much sleep you got last night and how tired you are can affect every aspect of your life.

One of the reasons for lack of sleep could be sleep apnea. That's where a person stops breathing while they are sleeping. University Health System physician assistant Amanda Brosnan works in the sleep clinic at the Robert B. Green Campus and says that one way to find out if you have sleep apnea is through a sleep study.

"You're actually set up with several different pieces of equipment to diagnose more thoroughly the sleep apnea," said Brosnan, who stresses that sleep apnea is different from snoring. "Snoring is caused by a narrowing in the airway, often through the nasal passage and often with being overweight or extremely exhausted."

Both can decrease your sleep, but how much sleep should we be getting?

The National Sleep Foundation says that toddlers should get at least 10 hours of sleep. For school-aged children and teenagers, they recommend at least seven hours. By the time you're an adult, or over 18 years old, six hours of sleep should be the minimum a night.

But what about napping?

"If you are feeling exhausted that you need to nap daily even though you're getting a good night's sleep, it's worth mentioning to your doctor," Brosnan said.

That is especially because not getting enough sleep can lead to serious health problems.

"It can set you up for high blood pressure, increases your risk of heart attack, increases your risk of stroke," Brosnan noted.